Prep football: Marin Catholic focused during final practice before state title game

WITH ONE final practice before the state title bowl with San Diego's Madison on Saturday, Marin Catholic High football coach Mazi Moayed had one simple message for his team. Like a thoroughbred race horse, the Wildcats have to put their blinders on and focus on the task at hand. Four quarters and 48 minutes left to reach their goal of being state champions.

"It's so important, that analogy for us, because through the week we've had more attention and conversation and thoughts and distractions outside the team coming at our guys, our coaches, our players, amplified by 10 or 20 times what the regular season and playoffs have been to this point," Moayed said.

"For us the blinders, 'Let's just keep the focus on us, what we're doing and the team we're competing against and try to block everything else out.'"

Those blinders, he explained to the team, will hone in their focus like a laser. Quarterback Jared Goff offered similar sentiments following his last practice as a high school player.

"We had a great practice today, it was great one to end the season on and it was a great one to get ready for state for," Goff said.

The weather played a factor as it rained for most of Friday's practice. As far as raining during the game, the Wildcats aren't concerned about it.

"We'll just adjust to it like we always do," Goff said. "We played El Cerrito in the rain and we won and it wasn't that big of a deal. It will definitely change our game plan if it's a torrential downpour, but a little light rain like this we can deal with, we'll be fine."

This is the second time Marin Catholic will play in the state bowl, coming up short in 2009. Winning the first state championship in school history is a nice thought, but better to think about on Sunday.

"We'll let history take care of itself after, we're just focused on our opponent," Moayed said. "At the beginning of the season we did circle this on our calendars as a realistic goal. We thought we had a team that would be able to make a run at it. ... Once you've gotten to a certain part of the playoffs you couldn't look past that game until it was over, it's just sort of a one week bowl at a time there. All of the sudden before you know it you're here."

"You think about, 'We could be the first one, we could go down in history as one of the best teams ever,'" Goff added. "Once game time comes around we won't think about it at all. We just need to focus on our ABCs and just get our game plan down. We can celebrate after if we win. We're ready to go and I'm excited for it."

Et cetera

 The Marin Catholic players spent much of their ride to Southern California relaxing as much as one can on a six-hour bus trip Friday. But for those who were looking for inspiration before facing Madison on Saturday, "Friday Night Lights" and "Remember The Titans" were shown on the bus.

"We were really relaxed," junior Andrew Celis said. "We joked around, watched a couple of movies and just took today as a regular Friday. Tomorrow we're going to be really focused. Maybe the butterflies will start coming on tomorrow before the game, but we're all prepared for it."

Senior lineman Gunnar Graham conceded it isn't easy playing it totally cool with so much on the line Saturday.

"There are a little nerves," Graham said. "But what are you going to do? You can't be less nervous just because you want that — you can't just not be nervous. But we have to approach like we've been there before."

 If the game comes down to a final field-goal try, junior kicker Chris Hill said he has confidence he will come through, as he did two weeks ago when his kick in the final minute of the game lifted Marin Catholic past El Cerrito in the North Coast Section championship game.

"If it comes down to that, I'll just do what I always do," Hill said. "I try not to think about it too much on the sideline and I warm up well. You just have to stay in the moment if it comes down to it."

 Defensive backs coach Frank Peters, who was a linebacker and running back on Marin Catholic football teams that won freshman and varsity MCAL titles, said he hopes to see the current squad succeed as much for the memories a title creates as anything else.

"It's something that sticks with you for the rest of your life," Peters said. "I'm getting texts from my buddies congratulating us and reminiscing of our time and the great times that we had. There's still a bunch of us that celebrate those great times.

"This now is about these kids. I'm looking forward to them being able to call each other 15, 20, 30 years from now saying, 'We did that.' That's a great thing for the kids."